What He Saw
by EmilyLeona
Summary: Little Joe was on his way back from Virginia City when he saw something he won't soon forget.
1. Chapter 1

Ok, let's try something a little different. I apologize now that this story won't be finished as quickly, but I hope you enjoy it.

Like I said before, I own nothing, except in my dreams. In my dreams this is my family.

Ben, Adam, and Hoss Cartwright sat in the sitting room drinking coffee as they waited for Hop-Sing to finish supper. It was a rare occurrence indeed when they had finished the afternoon chores before the cook had the evening meal ready.

Suddenly they heard a horse running hard into the yard. Looking out the window, Hoss saw his younger brother racing in as though he were being chased. Joe hopped off his horse as Hoss came out to meet him, wondering what had the young man so riled up. Joe barely acknowledged his brother before leaning over on his knees and vomiting into the bush next to the barn.

Ben had followed Hoss into the yard and seeing his youngest so ill, instructed Hoss to stable Cochise as he went to Little Joe. When Joe had finished, he handed him his kerchief and led him into the house.

"Pa, I'm fine." Joe said as they crossed the threshold and he pushed his father's arm off of his waist.

Ben looked on in disbelief as Little Joe walked up the stairs to his bedroom.

"Pa, what happened?" Adam asked as he came to stand next to his father.

"I'm not sure. Joe seemed quite ill outside. I'll give him a little while to settle down and then go check on him.

"How's Joe?" Hoss asked as he came in from taking care of the horse.

"Insists he's fine, but went up to bed. Did you see anything off with his horse?" Ben asked.

"Nothing, just hot form getting rode so hard."

Hop-Sing came in announcing supper, "Little Joe home? Time eat!"

"You two go ahead, I'm going to go check on your brother. Tell Hop-Sing not to wait."

Ben found Joe lying on his bed, his arm draped over his eyes. He quietly crossed over and placed his hand on Joe's pale forehead, checking for fever, but finding none.

"Pa, I said I was fine." Joe said without much conviction.

"Did you get the chance to stop by and see Rachel?"

"Yeah. I chopped some more wood for her and gave little Rosie a ride on Cochise. She looked so proud up there holding the reins." Joe smiled, remembering the young widow and her daughter.

"Are you hungry?"

"No. Just tired."

"Ok, get some rest. Let me know if you need anything." Ben quietly shut the door behind him.

"Thanks, Pa."

"How is he?" Adam asked as Ben pulled out his chair and sat down.

"Pale and wan, but says he's fine. Doesn't want to talk and says he isn't hungry."

"Fever?"

"No."

"Well, then, maybe he's just tired." Adam said, trying to reassure his pa.

"Maybe."


	2. Chapter 2

"NO! STOP!"

Ben awoke to screams coming from Little Joe's room. He quickly grabbed his robe and rushed into his room to find him sitting up with sweat streaming down his face.

"Joe!" Ben cried as he grabbed his shoulders.

Hoss and Adam ran in, hearing the screams.

"What's going on?!" Hoss asked.

Joe blinked his eyes and looked around his room. The edges of the nightmare fading away as he came fully awake. Embarrassment was setting in. He was a grown man, he shouldn't be waking in the middle of the night screaming from nightmares.

"I'm sorry I woke you guys," he said as he lay back down.

"Hoss, Adam, go back to bed. It will be morning soon enough," Ben said as he sent them out of the room before trying to talk to Joe.

"Joseph, what is going on?"

"Pa, please. I'm fine. Just a bad dream. I didn't mean to wake you. Go on back to bed. Please."

"Ok, Son, but don't apologize. You know I'm here if you need me." Ben said as he walked to the bedroom door.

Ben walked out of Joe's room to find Hoss and Adam standing in the hallway, waiting to hear about Joe. "Boys, go to bed. It'll be sun up in a couple of hours. There's nothing we can do now but wait for him to tell us what's eating at him."

Morning came early on the Ponderosa, and the next morning it seemed even earlier. Hoss and Adam joined their father for breakfast before heading out to start their chores. Ben had decided to let Joe sleep in. Whatever was going on with his youngest son, he needed a good night's sleep.

Breakfast was just about over when there was a knock at the door. Curious at who would be calling this early, Ben opened the door to find his friend, Sheriff Roy Coffee.

"Roy, come in. Come in. Care for a cup of coffee?"

"No, thanks, Ben. I'm afraid this isn't a social call."

"Then, how can I help you?"

"I'm afraid I have bad news. One of the saloon girls was found badly beaten on the Northern edge of the Ponderosa. Just outside of Carson City."

"Is she okay?" Adam asked as he and Hoss joined them in the living room.

"She's with the doctor, but I think she'll be fine. I came to ask if you boys have noticed anything or anyone odd around here the past few days?"

The three informed him that there hadn't been anything out of the ordinary going on near the Ponderosa. In fact, they hadn't seen any strangers in weeks.

"Where's Joe?" the Sheriff asked, realizing the young man hadn't joined them.

"Let me go check on him, Roy. I'll see if he's up to talking to you." Ben said as he headed up the stairs.

"He wasn't feeling well last night so Pa let him sleep this morning," Hoss explained in response to the sheriff's confused look.

Ben knocked quietly on the bedroom door, "Joseph, are you awake?" When he didn't receive an answer, he gently pushed the door open to find the bed empty.

"Joseph must be feeling better this morning." Ben announced as he went back downstairs, "He's up and gone already."

"Well, when you see him, could you ask him if he's noticed anything? And let me know if any of you see anything." The sheriff said as he excused himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Joe couldn't get back to sleep after waking from the nightmare. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the girl's screams out of his head. If only he's been able to do something to help her, but he couldn't when he had young Rosie Dale in the saddle with him. By the time he'd dropped her back with her ma and made it back to where he'd heard the voices, the girl and her attacker were gone. Well, the girl was gone, but the round of bullets he'd had to avoid told him the man was still out there.

Not wanting to face his family, he decided to head out to the Northern corner to get started mending some fences that were starting to show wear. He hoped a hard day working would help him sleep.

Stopping only for water, Joe worked until the sky started to turn pink. Not ready to head home, he decided to stop at the saloon for a beer. That should help him relax, and hopefully give his pa time to get to bed before he made it home.

The saloon was full of talk about one of the girls, Misty Mae being attacked. According to the rumors she had been followed after her shift by an angry patron and when she turned down his advances, he had beat her nearly to death and had left her on the side of the road. The other girls were scared and, though they smiled and joked with everyone, they kept their distance from any strangers in the bar. They knew their line of work was dangerous, but knowing one of their friends was fighting for her life brought it too close to their hearts.

Seeing that staying at the saloon wasn't going to help him forget, Joe decided to just head home. As he was leaving he ran into Rick James.

"Why, Little Joe Cartwright, you're not leaving are you?"

"Yeah, Rick. I need to get back. I just stopped for a quick beer before heading home." Joe replied as he tried walking around the big man.

"Oh, No, Joe. Let me buy you a drink." Rick insisted as he took Joe by the arm and lead him to a table in the back, signaling the bar keeper as he passed.

He waited until the cold beers had been delivered before speaking again. "I hear there was some excitement on the ol' Ponderosa last night."

"Really?" Joe asked, looking interested.

"Yeah, I hear one of the uh, _ladies_, was left for dead on your land."

"I don't know anything about that," Joe said as he drained his beer and stood. "Thanks for the beer, Rick, but I really need to get going."

"Not just yet," Rick said quietly as he signaled for a refill. "I haven't seen you in forever. Let's catch up for a bit."

"Okay, Rick," Joe said as he sat back down. "What would you like to talk about?"

"I just heard that whoever beat that girl thinks he was seen and is threatening to hurt whoever it was. I know I'd want to make sure there were no witnesses if I'd done anything like that." Rick said calmly as he reached for his beer.

"I guess that makes sense," Little Joe agreed.

"I thought so," Rick said as he stood. "Nice talking to you, Joe."

Thinking about his conversation with his childhood friend, Joe decided to sit at the bar for awhile. He'd send the message to anyone who was concerned that he wasn't easily scared. An hour later, he decided he really needed to head home. He was feeling the effects of drinking all that beer on an empty stomach and didn't want to show his weakness.

The ride home seemed endless as he fought to stay on his horse. Luckily, Cochise knew the way home so all Joe needed to do was stay upright. When he arrived at the barn he slid out of the saddle as quietly and slowly as he could. He didn't want to wake anyone who may be sleeping, but he was also fighting the urge to vomit.

He was walking out of the barn when a large man stepped out of the shadows and grabbed him by behind.

"Stop right there!" A deep voice said in his ear.

Joe startled and punched aimlessly, feeling his fist connect with the man's stomach.

"Jeez, Joe, it's me." Hoss said as he backed away. "I was just playing."

"Hoss?" Joe said weakly as his knees gave out and he fell against the side of the barn. He looked blearily at his brother before leaning over and vomiting all the beer he'd just drank.

"Joe, I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Hoss asked once the vomiting stopped.

"Yeah, Hoss. Perfect." Joe replied as he walked toward the house.

"Joseph, where have you been all day?" Ben asked as soon as Joe walked through the door.

"Mending the fences in the North corner."

"All day?"

"Yeah, Pa. And then I stopped for a beer at the saloon. Now I'm going to bed," Joe replied as he hung up his hat and headed up the stairs.

Hoss walked in and saw his father staring at the staircase, "Pa?"

"What was that?"

"I don't know, Pa. I snuck up on Joe as he was putting his horse away and he started punching me like nothing I've ever seen. Then he about fell over and got sick all over the side of the barn."

"Well, he did admit to stopping for a beer…."

"Looked like more than one beer and no food all day to me."

"Joe okay?" Adam asked, coming downstairs after hearing his brother's bedroom door shut.

"I don't know, Adam," Ben said quietly as he headed up to his own bed.


	4. Chapter 4

"Shhh, Joe. You're alright," Ben spoke to his son as he started twisting and turning in his sleep.

"NO! STOP!" Joe screamed in return as he sat up.

"Joseph, wake up!" Ben shook him by the shoulders, "It's only a dream."

"Pa?"

"Yes, Joe. You were having another nightmare."

"Sorry, Pa."

"Joe, why don't you tell me about it. Then you can stop apologizing and we can all get some sleep."

"I just keep seeing that girl from the saloon. I keep hearing her yelling for help."

"Joe, so you know something you're not telling me?"

"Pa, I was there. In the woods."

"When the girl was attacked?"

"Yes," Joe said quietly, not meeting his father's gaze.

"Why didn't you help her? Why didn't you get the sheriff?"

"I couldn't. I had Rosie with me. We were looking for deer when I heard shouting. I got closer, close enough to see a man forcing himself on some lady. Rosie started to get scared so I left."

"And?" Ben encouraged Joe to keep talking.

"And I took Rosie back to her ma."

"Of course you did. You had to make sure she was safe."

"Yeah, Rosie was safe, but that lady wasn't. I went back for her. I did. I was going to make sure she was okay. Take her to Doc Martin if I had to."

"You were going to? Why didn't you?"

"She was gone Pa! I was looking around for her when someone started shooting at me. I didn't know if she was in the trees with him so I rode off. I still don't know if she was. He came after me for awhile, but then just stopped."

Ben was quiet, thinking about everything he'd just heard. "Joe, do you know who the man was?'

"Yeah, but I wasn't positive until tonight."

"Who?"

"Rick. Rick James."

"You're sure about that, Son? Absolutely sure?"

"I thought it was him when I first saw it happening. Then tonight I ran into him at the saloon and he made it pretty clear it was him and the he knew I was there."

"Joe, if you knew all this why didn't you go to Sheriff Coffee?"

"I wanted to be sure, and then I was drunk, and then Rick was there watching me, and….." Joe's voice trailed off.

"Well then, Joe, what are you going to do now?"

"I'm riding out at first light to tell Roy everything."

"Very well. Do you think you can sleep now?"

"Actually Pa, I think I'll just get ready and make some coffee."

"Do you want company?"

"No, Pa. You go on to bed. No need for both of us to lose sleep."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, and thanks."

Ben walked to the door before turning back to look at Joe. "Joe, you did what you had to do. Sure, you could have handled things differently, but you had to keep Rosie safe."

"I know Pa, but I still feel guilty."

Ben simply nodded as he left the room. Hopefully after speaking to the sheriff Joe would get back to being himself.


	5. Chapter 5

Joe was about five miles from the house when the first shot came out of the trees. He felt the bullet burn through his right arm as he fought to stay on Cochise. He held on tighter with his left hand as he gave the Pinto a kick.

As he started to go faster, Rick carefully took aim and fired again. This time the bullet found its mark in Joe's back. He immediately fell to the ground. As soon as his master fell to the ground Cochise took off running.

James rode down to where Joe lay unconscious. He turned the young man over with his boot. Surprised to see his eyes open, he hit him hard on the head with the butt of his rifle. Satisfied that Joe wouldn't be going anywhere he mounted his horse and sat there, just watching Joe bleed. He really didn't want to kill him. They'd been friends growing up and used to get into a bit of mischief together, like trapping the skunk in the schoolhouse that one spring day when they were about 10 because they wanted to go fishing instead. That skunk smelled so bad the school was closed for two days. Of course they were found out and Rick's pa made sure he couldn't sit for a week. The way Joe was walking, he didn't fare much better.

Soon after Rick's pa had died and he'd had to quit school. His ma couldn't keep the farm going and take care of his younger sisters. He'd lost his childhood early and Little Joe Cartwright had been raised by one of the wealthiest men in the territory. He'd wanted for nothing. Some things just weren't fair. He was only planning on having a little fun with the girl that day, but it just got out of hand. Then Little Joe saw everything. He knew Joe well enough to know that he would report him to the sheriff. That was another thing – Ben Cartwright and the sheriff were old friends. What chance would he have against Joe Cartwright's word?

No, Rick James didn't want to kill Joe Cartwright, but he had no choice. He had to! If his ma found out it was him that hurt the saloon girl it would kill her. She'd been hurt so much when her husband died that Rick vowed he'd never do anything to cause her grief. So now he had to cover his tracks so she would never find out.

Shaking his head to clear out the memories, he realized he'd sat too long. He needed to get back to town before he was missed. With one last look at Joe he headed home.


	6. Chapter 6

Hoss joined his father and Adam at the breakfast table, not surprised to see Joe missing from the group. "Should I wake Little Joe?"

"He rode out early this morning to meet with Roy." Ben replied.

"Is that so? What did he have to see Roy about?"

Ben told his older sons of Joe's late night confession. When he had finished Hoss and Adam were quiet. Little Joe sure had a habit of getting into trouble. They looked at each other and rose as one. Grabbing their hats and gun belts they headed to the stable. Opening the back door they found Cochise drinking from the water trough.

"Pa, Joe's in trouble!" Hoss yelled, checking the pinto for any clues to his owner's whereabouts. He had just noticed a rust-colored stain on the saddle blanket when Ben joined them. "Blood," he said simply, looking at his father.

Cochise was put in his stall and the men quickly saddled their horses and headed toward town. When they came upon the heap lying unconscious on the side of the road, they could hardly believe it was Little Joe. He was in a pool of blood, with one eye nearly swollen shut. Ben hopped off and gently examined his boy.

"Hoss, ride hard. His arm's been shot straight through and he has a bullet in his back. He's alive though so ride fast. Get the doc back here as fast as you can!"

With one quick look at his little brother Hoss mounted Chubb and spurred him on as fast as he could.

"Pa?" Adam asked as Ben took his kerchief off and tied it around Joe's arm.

"Adam, get the wagon."

Adam nodded and handed his father his canteen before heading back home.

Ben set to work, cleaning Joe's wounds as best as he could while trying to stop the blood. He'd seen his sons hurt on many occasions. Too many occasions. The arm wasn't bleeding as bad, but the back wound was worrying him. He ripped off the sleeve of his shirt to plug the hole in his sons back as he sent up a prayer.

"Joe, just hold on. Hold on, Son." He pleaded as he waited for Adam to arrive with the wagon.

Adam came racing down the road with three of the hands. Quickly and carefully they lifted Little Joe into the wagon and covered him with blankets. Ben climbed in back next to Joe as Adam hopped into the seat behind the horses. They had just gotten Little Joe in his bed when the door opened and Doctor Martin rushed in. Having been to the Ponderosa countless times he wasted no time climbing the stairs to the bedrooms.

Hoss had told him Joe was hurt, but the good doctor was still shocked to see the shape of his patient. He quickly sent Adam and Ben downstairs so he could examine Joe. It took time, but he managed to stop the flow of blood from the wound in Joe's back and stitched up the holes in his arm. He headed downstairs as Hoss entered the house.

"How is he?" Ben asked as soon as Paul Martin was visible.

"I've stopped the bleeding. His arm looks good – by some miracle the bullet went straight through. However, he's lost too much blood for me to remove the bullet in his back."

"What are you saying?"

"I need to wait a few days to remove the bullet. He needs to build his blood back up if he has any chance of survival. If I tried to take it out now he'd never survive."

"And if you don't take it out now?"

"If I don't take it out now, he has a chance. If we can keep him alive long enough to build his blood up I can get the bullet out."

"If we can keep him alive?"

"Ben, I'll be honest. I don't know how he's alive as it is. The blood loss in itself is enough to kill him. Then the whack on the head. His brain is swollen, pressing against his skull. I may need to remove a bit of his skull to make room for his brain if the swelling doesn't go down."

"You want to cut out part of his skull?"

"No, I don't want to, but I may need to. As a last resort."

"Ok, where is he right now?"

"He's alive and fighting hard to stay that way. Go up and sit with him. Keep him fighting."

Ben nodded and started up the stairs. "Thank you, Paul."

After Ben was out of sight Adam turned to Hoss, having realized he hadn't brought the sheriff with him. "Hoss, where's Roy?"

"He'll be out as soon as he can. Seems something happened with that saloon girl."


	7. Chapter 7

Hop Sing just finished getting supper on the table when Roy arrived. The sheriff was happy to see the doctor was still at the Ponderosa as he needed to talk to him about the death certificate for Misty Mae, but he knew it was a bad sign for Joe that the doctor felt unable to leave.

"How is Joe?" Sheriff Coffee asked to the room in general.

"I'll go check on him and send Ben down." The doctor answered, taking his leave.

"Ben, how is Joe doing?" Roy asked his old friend as he came down the stairs.

"No change that I can see."

"Any idea who did this?"

"It was Rick James. I'm sure of it." Ben repeated the story Joe had told him just last night. Was it really last night that he sat in his son's room talking to him after the nightmare? So much had happened since then.

"Ben, the girl died this morning. Now, I can go talk to him. If you file an official charge I can hold him until the judge comes in three weeks. After that I don't know what will happen without a witness."

"Are you telling me, Rick James is going to get away with murder?"

"No, I'm saying that to let the law handle it Joe's going to need to be a witness in three weeks in front of the judge."

"And if we don't let the law handle it?" Adam spoke up.

Sheriff Coffee looked at Ben's eldest and shook his head, "You know the answer to that Adam. I want him to hang too, but there is only so much I can do with one witness dead and the other one fighting for his life. Now, I will go arrest him and hold him until the judge gets here. I need you three to stay here and let me do my job."

With that Ben headed back upstairs to talk to the doctor. His son was a fighter. He would live to testify. There was no thinking about the alternative.

"Ben, I need to head into town to handle a few things. I'll be back first thing in the morning. If anything changes send Hoss. If all goes well I'll look at taking out the bullet tomorrow," Doctor Martin said as Ben entered the room. "Now, I need you to get some rest and be sure to eat something. I'm going to do all I can to save him, and he'll need you to stay strong."

After the sheriff and doctor headed back to town Adam and Hoss took a plate of food up to their father. They sat with him, making sure he ate enough to sustain him. When he was satisfied Adam stood and turned to Ben, saying, "Now, Pa, you go get some sleep. Hoss will stay here with Joe and I am going to check with the hands to make sure everything is taken care of."

"I'm staying here." Ben replied stubbornly.

"No, you're not, Pa" Hoss said, pulling his father to his feet and pointing him toward the door, "Doc Martin told us to make sure you get some sleep and that's what we plan on doing. Come back after getting a few hours and we'll let you stay."

Ben let himself be led out of the room, but instead of going to his own bedroom he followed Adam downstairs. He knew Hoss and Adam were right, that he needed to get some rest, but he was too tense to try just yet. He would work on the books to give him something to think about besides Joe.


	8. Chapter 8

True to his word, Paul Martin was back at the Ponderosa first thing in the morning. He'd determined that Misty Mae had died from her injuries in the attack. He'd given Sheriff Coffee his findings and headed straight out to check on Joe Cartwright. He was not surprised to find Ben at his young son's side.

"How is he this morning?" Ben asked after the doctor examined Joe.

"He's holding on tight. I'd like to try removing the bullet now. He survived the first night, allowing his blood to build up a little."

"Is he strong enough?"

"We can wait a little longer to give him more time to build up his blood, but that runs the risk of infection. So far we're keeping his wounds clean, but if he gets an infection now it will most likely kill him."

"Alright, I trust you. Do what you need to do."

Removing the bullet from Joe's back was easier than the doctor expected. It had come to rest against one of the vertebra, leaving a small crack. There was more blood than he liked, but he didn't see anything that should cause permanent damage. He knew young Joe Cartwright was a fighter and prayed he would continue to hold on long enough to let his body heal.

Once finished, he opened the bedroom door to find three Cartwrights waiting for him. "Before you ask, he's okay. There shouldn't be any lasting damage, but he lost more blood than I would have liked."

"Will he live?" Ben asked simply.

"Any other man would have died before now. Your son surviving to this point gives me hope."

Hoss and Adam looked at each other and smiled with relief. "Pa, you go ahead and sit with him now, Hoss and I will relieve you in a few hours."

"Thank you Adam," Ben said before heading back to Joe's side.

Hoss and Adam walked downstairs with the doctor, where they sat at the table while Hop Sing made coffee and sandwiches. Once they had eaten Adam took a plate up to his father and sat with him while he ate.

"How is he, Pa?"

"He's strong. He'll be okay."

"I'm sure of that, Pa, but what about the trial? Roy said the judge will be here in three weeks. We can't expect Joe to be able to sit a trial by then."

"We'll worry about that later. Right now we have to worry about getting him better."

They looked up when they heard a loud knock at the door. "Adam, stay with Joe. I'll see who's here." Ben said, getting to his feet.

He went downstairs to find the doctor and Hoss talking to Sheriff Coffee.  
"Ben, good to see ya," the sheriff said when Ben joined them, "Paul here was just telling me about Little Joe. Keep me informed so I can get the trial set with the judge."

"Well, Roy, like I was just telling Adam, we can't worry about the trial right now. We need to get Joe healthy first."

"I understand that Ben, but you need to understand that I can only hold Rick until the judge gets here. With Misty Mae dead Joe is the only witness. Without him, I'll be forced to let Rick go free."

"So, you have him at the jail?"

"I do. In fact that's why I'm here," the sheriff said as he looked at the doctor, "I came to get you Doc. Seems you have another patient. Nancy James was there when I arrested Rick and she collapsed. My boys took her to your office. My guess is seeing her only son taken away with his hands cuffed was too much for her."


	9. Chapter 9

"Pa, go on to bed. I'll sit with Joe," Hoss said as he woke his father. Ben had been at Joe's side since the doctor had left earlier in the afternoon. "How is he?"

"Still no change," Ben replied after quickly checking for fever.

"I'll come get ya if anything happens. Go on to bed," Hoss repeated, sitting down next to his brother's bed.

Hoss was beginning to dose when he heard a low moan. "Joe?" He asked suddenly awake. He had just started thinking he had imagined it when there was another moan. "Joe, hold on, I'll be right back." Hoss ran to his father's room as quickly as he could.

"Pa! Come quick!" He yelled opening the door to Ben's bedroom, "It's Joe, Pa!"

Without waiting for a response Hoss hurried back to Little Joe. He lit the lamp and placed it on the table next to the bed as Ben came in tying his robe. "What's happened?"

Hearing the commotion Adam followed his father, "What's going on? Is Joe okay?"

A moan came from the bed and Ben rushed over, "Joe?" Ben spoke quietly to his son, reassuring him and trying to gauge how he was doing. "Hoss, go get the doctor."

"Yes, Sir."

"Adam, get some cold water. He has a fever."

"Yes, Pa."

Hoss returned with a slightly rumpled Doctor Martin. He had awakened the doctor and hurriedly explained that Joe was moaning, but not saying anything or moving. He hoped it was a good sign that Joe was starting to heal.

The exam showed that the swelling on Joe's brain was going down so he would not need surgery to ease the pressure in his skull. He had a mild infection and was running a slight fever, so the doctor instructed Ben to continue using cold compresses and started Joe on Quinine for inflammation and fever. He was determined to pull the boy through.

Meanwhile, back in Virginia City Sheriff Coffee had just received word that Judge Butler would be in town to try Rick James in just over two weeks. He didn't know if Joe Cartwright would be fit to testify by then or not. He didn't want to see a guilty man go free, especially one that hurt one of his friends so badly.

His conversation with Nancy James went through his head. He'd gone to Doc Martin's office to check on her and found her shaken, but willing to talk. She'd admitted that she knew her son was guilty of something, but didn't want to believe he had hurt that girl. Was she strong enough to testify against her own son though? He also wondered if she knew enough to be useful.


	10. Chapter 10

Ben was holding Joe's hand and talking quietly to him when he felt a slight flutter of the fingers. "Joe?" He asked squeezing his son's hand. A weak squeeze answered him. "Good, Joe. Can you squeeze my hand again?" Another weak squeeze came in response.

"Joe, I need to get the doctor. I'll be right back." Ben said removing his hand from Joe's before quickly leaving the bedroom and calling down the stairs. "Doc Martin, come quick!"

Hoss, Adam, and the doctor all rushed into Joe's bedroom to find Ben once again holding Joe's hand and talking quietly to him.

"Doctor, he's awake." Ben said as soon as he saw the men.

The doctor took Ben's spot at Joe's side, "Joe? Can you open your eyes for me?" Everyone in the room held their breath as they waited to see what would happen. Slowly he cracked open his eyes. He shut them almost immediately and let out a low moan. "Sorry, Joe. I know you're not feeling so good, but I need to check a few things and then I can give you some medicine to help with the pain and you can go back to sleep." He grabbed the blankets tightly in his fist in response.

He finished his examination as quickly as he could. Once finished he gave Joe some Morphine and waited for it to take effect. As soon as he saw the young man relax he walked to the bedroom door, motioning for Ben to follow him.

"What is it?" Ben asked when they were in the hallway.

"He looks good, Ben. Real good." Doctor Martin said, "He's in a lot of pain, as you can imagine, but he's healing. I've given him Morphine and that will keep him sleeping."

"Thank you, Paul. Is there anything else?" Ben asked, anxious to get back to Joe.

"He needs to stay quiet, which won't be difficult for now. Give him more Morphine as he needs it, and try to get him to drink water. Maybe add a little sugar and salt until you can get some broth into him."

"I understand," Ben nodded.

"Okay, I'll be back tomorrow to check in. I need to get back to my other patients now." The doctor headed downstairs, feeling at last that he could leave the Ponderosa and not hurry back.

As the doctor headed toward town he tipped his hat to the sheriff on his way to the Ponderosa.

"How's Joe doing?" the sheriff asked.

"He's starting to heal. Woke up briefly not too long ago."

"Good, good. When can I talk to him?"

"Not for a few days at least. He's hurtin something fierce and won't be up to talking for awhile."

"Okay, I'll just go talk to Ben." Roy stated as he continued on to the ranch house.


	11. Chapter 11

"Roy, good to see you," Ben greeted the sheriff as he opened the door.

"Ben, I was wondering if I could borrow Hoss and Adam for a bit."

"Of course, but why?" Ben asked.

"I want them to show me again where you found Little Joe."

Hoss and Adam led Sheriff Coffee to the spot where Joe was found. Looking at the trees Roy found the bullet that must have gone through Joe's arm lodged in the trunk of an old pine. He carefully dug it out with his pocket knife.

"Find something?" Hoss asked coming to the sheriff's side.

"I'm guessing it's the bullet that went through Joe's arm." The sheriff said showing the bullet to Hoss and Adam. A bullet from an ordinary rifle. The type of rifle most men around Virginia City carried.

"It must have come from up there." Adam said, pointing to a hill on the other side of the road.

"Let's take a look." Roy said following Adam's finger.

Up in the trees they found two used cartridges lying on the ground. "This is where he fired from," Roy said picking up the cartridges. As he stood up he caught a glimpse of red cotton caught on the bottom branch of a large tree. He walked over to the cloth and found it to be a handkerchief. Pulling it off the branch he examined it and found the letters ROJ embroidered in a corner.

"Either of you boys recognize this?" He asked holding up the red square.

"No," Adam said, shaking his head.

"Me, neither," Hoss replied.

They looked around for a bit longer, but finding nothing more the three headed back to check on Joe.

Hoss and Adam took their turn sitting with Joe while Ben and the sheriff talked downstairs. He hadn't moved since the doctor left, but he seemed to be more relaxed than he had been.

"Ben, how's Joe doing?" Roy asked as they sat down for coffee.

Ben told him the same thing the doctor had. He was in a lot of pain, but seemed to be healing. He had a long way to go, but would be back causing trouble soon enough.

"I'll need to talk to him as soon as he wakes. The judge is due in town next week and with Joe as the only witness a lot rides on him."

"I know that Roy, but I just don't know how much help he's going to be by then." Ben said looking up the stairs. "I don't see how he'll be able to testify in a week."

"Just let me know when he's awake. I need to ask him a few questions and then we'll go from there."

"Okay," Ben agreed. "Tell me, did you find anything with Hoss and Adam?"

"A bullet, some spent cartridges, and a handkerchief that I believe belongs to James. In fact, I'd better head over to talk to Nancy." Roy said as he got to his feet and headed to the door.


	12. Chapter 12

"Pa, Joe's asking for you," Adam said, waking his father.

Ben was instantly awake. He's been convinced to get some sleep in his own bed now that Joe was on the mend.

"Joe?" He said quietly as he entered his son's bedroom, "How are you feeling?"

"Pa?" Joe whispered.

"I'm right here." Ben replied taking Joe's hand. "Are you okay?"

"What happened?"

"You were shot. In the back mainly, and you took a pretty good knock to the head."

"Rick?"

"Yeah, we think so."

Joe nodded his head and grimaced at the pain he felt shooting through his body.

"Joe?" Ben asked seeing the pain in his son's face.

"Pa, I need to tell the sheriff what I saw. I never made it to town." Joe said, trying to move the blankets off and giving up when he couldn't find the strength.

"I'll send for Roy as soon as you are ready." Ben put the blankets back around his son, feeling the heat coming from his back. "Let me give you some more medicine." He said, tipping some into his mouth before watching Joe drift back off to sleep.

Sheriff Coffee's visit with Nancy James was short. As soon as he pulled out the handkerchief she started crying. "That's Ricks. His sister Ann gave it to him for his birthday.

"You're sure?" Roy asked.

"I'm sure. She embroidered three of them with is initials. Check the corners. You'll find ROJ in black thread."

"Thank you, Nancy." Sheriff Coffee said and headed to his office.


	13. Chapter 13

"Hoss, ride to town and get Sheriff Coffee. Joe refuses to take any more medicine until he talks to Roy," Ben said. The young man was as stubborn as the day is long and he was trying hard to pretend he didn't hurt as much as he did. Ben could see through Joe's brave face, but knew how guilty he felt about what happened to Misty Mae.

Ben had just told Joe that the girl had died of her injuries and he had reacted by trying to get out of bed, ripping his stitches in the process. Ben's heart ached seeing his son in such pain, but at least he was awake and coherent. With the judge's arrival less than a week away he was worried if Joe could handle testifying in court.

"Joe, thank you for all you told me." Roy said after Joe had finished recounting the events of that day in the woods. "Just tell the judge what you told me and I don't think Rick has a chance of getting let go."

"Roy, can I talk to you?" Ben asked, ushering his old friend out of Joe's bedroom. "What if he doesn't testify? I don't see how he'll be strong enough to handle a day in court right now."

"Ben, I understand your concern, but without Joe's testimony Rick James has a good chance of getting off. I can place him in the woods when Joe was shot, but I have nothing proving he did anything to that girl. Joe needs to testify – he's the only witness we have."

Wordlessly Ben headed back to Joe. Adam was talking quietly to Joe, trying to coax him into taking another dose of the pain medication.

"Joe, how are you feeling?" Ben asked.

"Pa, I can't take anymore of that Morphine," he replied weakly. "I heard Roy. I need to testify and I can't do that if I keep taking it."

"Joe, don't be so stubborn!" Adam said impatiently. Between the pain in his brother's eyes and the sheen of sweat on his face, it was obvious he needed the relief.

"Adam, get some more cold water, would ya?"

"Now Joe, I want you to listen. I understand how important testifying is. None of us want to see Rick go free, but you're not going to be any help in the condition you're in. You need to take your medicine so you can heal. We'll talk to the doctor when he comes to check on you, but for now you need to take the medicine. We can all see how much you're hurting and I know how guilty you must feel, but right now your stubbornness is only hurting yourself. Now take your medicine and get some sleep. I'll have Hop Sing make some soup for when you wake up so you can start building up your strength."

"Yes, Pa." Joe said quietly as he accepted the spoonful of medication his father held to his lips.

"Well?" Adam asked as he walked in and filled the basin on the bedside table with fresh water.

"Well, he took it and now I need to go talk to Hop Sing about some soup."


	14. Chapter 14

"Joe, are you sure about this?" Ben asked as he, Hoss, and Adam tried to make Joe comfortable in the wagon. He could barely walk with support from his father or one of his brothers, still relied heavily in the morphine, and was advised against testifying by Doctor Martin, yet he was determined to tell the judge all he knew.

"Pa, I have to do this." Joe said gritting his teeth as he tried to sit up.

"Ready back there?" Hoss asked as he climbed up to the wagon seat and took the reins.

So they headed to town. Joe lying in the wagon driven by Hoss as Ben and Adam rode alongside to keep an eye on Joe. Doctor Martin would meet them at the courthouse so he could keep an eye on his strong-willed patient during the trial.

Sitting in the courthouse was much harder than Joe had expected. His body was not used to sitting in a chair, especially one so hard. He knew his father was keeping a close eye on him and could feel the sweat dripping from his face. He hoped the judge would call him soon and he could leave.

"Joe, are you okay?" Hoss whispered.

"Nothing I can't handle."

"Joe?" the doctor said from behind him, "do you need anything?" He had noticed Joe turning pale and heard him catch his breath.

As soon as the attorneys had given their opening statements the judge called for a short recess. Seeing the opportunity, Ben called the prosecutor over to explain that his son, their witness, was having trouble sitting through the trial.

"Do you have any idea how much longer it will be before we can get Joe on the stand so he can go lie down?"

"I can talk to the judge, see what can be done."

He headed to the bench and soon the judge called the defense attorney over. The three men talked for a few minutes before the judge looked over to where Joe was sitting and nodded. The prosecutor headed back to the Cartwrights and explained that they would call Joe to the stand next and then he'd be led out to a room in back where he could lie down. He needed to be available if questions arose.

As soon as the judge called the court back into session the prosecutor led Joe to the witness stand and helped him to stand as he was sworn in, until the judge told him he could be seated. He sat down heavily as his legs buckled.

"Are you up for this?" the judge asked as he got a closer look at the witness – his face white and covered in sweat.

Joe nodded and took a deep breath.

"Very well." With that he waved the prosecutor to continue.

"Please state your name."

"Joseph Frances Cartwright"

"Mr. Cartwright, where were you May 25?"

"Visiting a friend near Virginia City"

"What did you do while visiting this friend?"

"I chopped and stacked some wood for her and then took her little girl for a ride in the woods to look for deer."

"Did you see anything in the woods that day?" the attorney asked.

"Yes, I saw a man forcing himself on a young woman and heard her screaming for help."

"What happened next?"

"I left." Joe replied quietly.

"You left?"

"I had to – I took little Rosie back to her ma and then went back to help the woman in the woods."

"And did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Did you help the woman in the woods?"

"No, I couldn't. She and the man were both gone by the time I got back."

Joe continued with his story, repeating all he had told his pa the night of his nightmare. From the meeting with Rick James at the saloon to the ride out to talk to the sheriff when he was shot off his horse. By the time he was finished he was shaking and his face glistened with sweat.

"Thank you, Joe." The prosecutor said quietly and turned to the defender.

"Mr. Cartwright, how are you feeling?" the defense attorney asked.

"I'm fine." Joe said, glaring.

"Are you sure? You look rather ill."

"I'm recovering from getting shot and knocked out a couple weeks ago."

"You've been quite ill I understand."

"I have, but I'm okay now." Joe said feeling testy. He obviously wasn't fine and in fact felt as though he could pass out at any moment.

"Having been ill, how do we know what you remember is accurate?"

"It's accurate. I told my pa the same thing before I got shot. Ask him if you don't believe me."

"Calm down. I simply am pointing out that your memory may be a little fuzzy. Maybe the man you saw in the woods wasn't Rick James. Maybe it was someone else."

"It was James. He all but told me that night in the saloon."

"Yes, the saloon. You were out drinking when you met up with Mr. James. How much did you have?"

"One beer. I had one beer that night. I remember talking with Rick clearly." Joe whispered as his vision blurred. "He was scared and wanted me to know he wasn't going to keep the one witness alive."

With that, Joe looked over at the judge, "Please Sir, I'm not feeling well." He tried to stand up but his legs couldn't hold him and he fell to the floor in a heap.


	15. Chapter 15

When Joe opened his eyes again he was in his bed at home. He looked over and saw his pa sleeping in the armchair he'd pulled next to the bed.

"Pa?" Joe said quietly.

"How do you feel?" Ben asked, waking up immediately.

"Sore, weak, tired. I'm okay." Joe sat up slowly. "What happened?"

"We tried telling you to take it easy," Pa said, putting his hand to his son's forehead. "You have a fever."

"Pa, what happened with the trial?" Joe asked, brushing his dad's hand away.

"After you passed out Doc Martin said there was no way for you to continue. The judge had them continue and Mrs. James herself turned out to be a witness against her son. With her evidence and your testimony the jury found Rick James guilty of murder and he was sentenced to hang."

"So it's over. He's dead." Joe said closing his eyes.

"It's over," Ben said quietly. "Now it's time for you to rest."

"Yes, Pa," Joe said as he fell asleep.


End file.
